On my way to Battersea, I stopped at London Bridge to visit the Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret. It was the perfect combination of interesting and creepy, largely because it is in the attic of an old church, requiring a walk up a wooden spiral staircase before you even reach the front desk. The herb garret smelled oddly comforting...just the right mix of familiar smells, like cinnamon, lavender, and a lot of dust. (The attic was actually sealed off for almost 100 years until it was reopened in the mid-20th century...some dried opium poppies were found still attached to the rafters when it was rediscovered.) That section also included display cases of Victorian surgical tools, which were pretty scary. (As much as some people dread surgery now, we have come such a long way in the last 100 years...) The Operating Theatre looked like any normal lecture hall, with standing-room risers built into the building (3/4 arena style), with a chalk board and an operating table in the center. It is referred to as a theatre in accordance with the origins of the word, a "seeing place," as this room was a space for medical students to witness surgeries in Victorian London...however, pretty grimly, the medical practice also used the space to gain profit, selling tickets to the Victorian crowds and allowing them to watch as well on the weekends. This room was also only for women's surgeries (a men's surgery was in another building nearby, which was destroyed). I read that the floor of the operating theatre is actually a false floor...underneath the floorboards is another layer of solid wood to keep blood from seeping through the floor into the church below. Since I chose to visit this and the Imperial War Museum in the same week, I must be punishing myself for sleeping well...:)
I made my way to Battersea as usual, stopping by Waterstone's for reading material on my way. (I love public transportation so much right now, because I am guaranteed an hour and a half of reading time every work day!) I did random jobs for the first hour (sorting gels, assisting Steve, one of the technicians, with rearranging the lighting storage) before my meeting with Luke to discuss YPT (Young People's Theatre). The director of YPT1 (12-14 year olds) was supposed to be there, but she was stuck on the train, so we'll have our production meeting next week. He talked me through the paperwork and his expectations of me as their stage manager (rehearsal reports, basically...I'll be fine!). We also realized that the performances are actually in the middle of the week after my internship technically ends, which we are trying to work around now (I may be living in the guest artist housing at BAC for four days before heading up North, which is fine with me).
I went to the rehearsal for YPT1, which reminded me at times of my work with Nancy Eddy when I was younger. The director, Sam Butler, is awesome, and was thrilled to have me on board. They began with some basic warm-ups and team-building games, then started an object work exercise: They had a scene set up with an arrangement of objects, and they had to enter, use the object and leave...then we started layering the scenes. It will continue to be built over the next few weeks. The kids were pretty rascally at times, which was a shame, but hopefully they will calm down over the next few weeks. I'm really excited about working with the group, though, especially since I will have a London show on my resume by the end of the summer.
I also forgot to mention this yesterday, but I met a guy from Evansville at work. He's another technician, and he graduated from Butler a couple of years ago. It's a small world, I suppose, and he seemed just as thrilled to meet someone from home as I was. :) (Up until this point, I've been tickled pink just to meet someone who knows where Indiana is, let alone someone who has lived in Indy!)
Horray for Hoosiers. :)
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